A large variety of disposable absorbent articles are known in the art. These include personal absorbent articles used to absorb bodily fluids such as perspiration, urine, blood, and menses. Such articles also include disposable household wipes used to clean up similar fluids or typical household spills. These disposable absorbent articles are formed from thermoplastic polymers in the form of extruded films, foams, nonwovens or sometimes woven material. An issue with these articles is that they are designed for short term use but may not be disposed of immediately, so that there is an opportunity for microorganisms to grow prior to disposal creating issues with formation of toxins, irritants or odor.
One type of disposable absorbent articles is disposable absorbent garments such as infant diapers or training pants, products for adult incontinence, feminine hygiene products such as sanitary napkins and panty liners and other such products as are well known in the art. The typical disposable absorbent garment of this type is formed as a composite structure including an absorbent assembly disposed between a liquid permeable bodyside liner and a liquid impermeable outer cover. These components can be combined with other materials and features such as elastic materials and containment structures to form a product that is specifically suited to its intended purposes. Feminine hygiene tampons are also well known and generally are constructed of an absorbent assembly and sometimes an outer wrap of a fluid pervious material. Personal care wipes and household wipes are well known and generally include a substrate material, which may be a woven, knitted, or nonwoven material, and often contain functional agents such as cleansing solutions and the like.
An issue with these articles is that once body fluids, or household spills, are absorbed into the articles various microbes can grow in these articles. A well known problem with such articles is the generation of malodors associated with microbial growth and metabolites. For disposable absorbent articles such as infant diapers, products for adult incontinence, and feminine hygiene products, the generation of such malodors can be a source of embarrassment for the user of these products. This can be particularly true for users of adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products. The issue of generation of malodor can include odors that are potentially detectable while the article is being worn and additionally after the article is disposed. In the case of household wipes, the microbes associated generation of malodor is undesirable and can be embarrassing. Additionally the growth of bacteria and other microbes in such household wipes may lead to the undesired spreading of such microbes if the wipe is used subsequent to such microbial growth.
Various odor control solutions include masking, i.e., covering the odor with a perfume, absorbing the odor already present in the bodily fluids and those generated after degradation, or preventing the formation of odors that are associated with microbial growth. Examples of approaches to controlling the generation of malodor by controlling microbial growth include U.S. Pat. No. 6,767,508 (Yahiaui et al.) which teaches the use of nonwoven fabrics that have been treated with an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant solution to result in a heterogeneous system having antibacterial activity when in contact with an aqueous source of bacteria. As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,855,134 (Brooks) the dominant offensive malodors arising from urine biotransformation and urine decomposition are sulfurous compounds and ammonia.